Fall 2020/Fuller Online

HT502

Sumner

HT502: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH, HUMANITY, AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT (4 Units: 160 hours). Darren Sumner.

DESCRIPTION: HT502 is a survey largely of medieval and Reformation history and theology that focuses especially on the doctrines that received their crucial shape for Protestant Christians during this period. Among these are the doctrine of the church (including the authority and office of the ministry, sacraments, the place of councils, and the role of the laity), the doctrine of scripture (including the place of tradition), theological anthropology (including human nature as created and fallen, and original sin), and the doctrine of the Christian life (including the entire order of salvation—election, calling, faith, justification, sanctification, and final glory). Key figures to be studied include Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT502 will demonstrate: (1) a basic historical and theological knowledge of the doctrines of the church, humanity, and the Christian life as those and other selected doctrines emerged especially in the medieval and Reformation church and developed to this day, (2) a basic competence in interpreting this history and theology and an ability to evaluate these theological issues and their historical development; and (3) a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of the Christian church.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: HT502 introduces students to a basic historical and theological knowledge of the doctrines of the church, humanity, and the Christian life as these doctrines and associated practices developed especially in the medieval and Reformation church, with an eye to developing skills in interpretation and critical appreciation; it thereby seeks to implement the SOT PLO, “Students will have demonstrated capacities for historically informed theological and ethical reflection.”

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: Approximately 1,125 pages.

Erasmus, Desiderius and Martin Luther. Erasmus & Luther: The Battle over Free Will, ed. Clarence H. Miller. Hackett, 2012. ISBN: 978-1603845472, Pub. Price $18.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [146 pp. assigned].

González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, Volume 2. 2nd rev. ed. Abingdon, 1987. ISBN: 978-0687171835, Pub. Price $34.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [324 pp. assigned].

González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, Volume 3. 2nd rev. ed. Abingdon, 1987. ISBN: 978-0687171842, Pub. Price $34.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [287 pp. assigned].

Muir, Elizabeth Gillan. A Women's History of the Christian Church: Two Thousand Years of Female Leadership. University of Toronto Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-1487593841, Pub. Price $34.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [120 pp. assigned].

Two student-selected primary source readings for document analysis papers, one from the medieval period and one from the era of the Protestant Reformation [approximately 40 pp. assigned].

Brown, Michael Joseph. "Black theology and the Bible," in The Cambridge Companion to Black Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2012. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [15 pp. assigned].

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. "Liberation and Salvation," in A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation. Orbis Books, 1973. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [30 pp. assigned].

Other selected primary source readings to be made available weekly via the online course site, including selections from Augustine, Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, John Calvin, and others [approximately 180 pp. assigned].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Cameron, Euan. The European Reformation. 2nd edition. Oxford Univ. Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0199547852, Pub. Price: $47.95.

Cameron, Euan. Interpreting Christian History: The Challenge of the Churches’ Past. Wiley-Blackwell, 2005. ISBN: 978-0631215233, Pub. Price: $49.75.

Harpur, James. Love Burning in the Soul: The Story of Christian Mystics, from Saint Paul to Thomas Merton. New Seeds Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-1590301128, Pub. Price $22.95.

Livingstone, Elizabeth A., ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third ed. Oxford Univ. Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0199659623, Pub. Price $22.95.

Madigan, Kevin. Medieval Christianity: A New History. Yale University Press, 2015. ISBN: 978-0300216776, Pub. Price: $27.50.

Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 8th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s (Macmillan), 2015. ISBN: 978-1457690884, Pub. Price $33.75.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Online instruction through reading and video lectures [10 hours].
2. Approximately 1,125 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [75 hours].
3. Weekly forum posts as assigned, including both original posts and replies to peers (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3] [18 hours].
4. Five bi-weekly quizzes over course lecture content (10%). [This assignment Is related to learning outcome #1]. [2 hours, including preparation]
5. Document analysis paper (1,500 words) on Martin Luther’s The Bondage of the Will (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [15 hours].
6. Two additional document analysis papers (1,500 words each) on primary source documents selected by the student (15% each, 30% total). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [15 hours each, 30 hours total].
7. Final examination (2,500 word maximum) covering readings and lecture material (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [10 hours, including preparation].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH2 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the TH2 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the CHB requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.